Everyday Granola

Do you make granola at home? If not, I'll highly recommend giving it a try. It's super simple - no recipe needed and highly customizable to your taste! Just mix the dry and wet ingredients together and bake at low temp while stirring every 10 minutes. 

Organic pre-made granola can get pricey and besides you can make endless variations to suit your taste buds when you make it at home. As an added benefit, home is filled with cinnamon and nutmeg baking aromas for hours afterwards - just as I like it. 

There is no recipe as such but these are some very general guidelines I follow: 3C rolled oats + 1C nuts & seeds to 3/4C wet (sweeteners + oil) to 1C dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, dried coconut flakes) and finally the flavorings - my favorite combo is cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg powder or just substitute pie spice if you have at hand. Granola bakes at a low temp - like 300F for a long time (40 minutes) - all you need to do is keep stirring every 10-15 minutes.

We enjoy granola as a snack to munch on, with milk as cereal or topped on Greek yogurt as dessert. One thing is for sure, once you make it at home, it's going to be difficult to go back to store bought one :)

Recipe:
Makes ~5C

Ingredients:
3C rolled oats (not quick cooking or instant)
1C chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios)
2Tbsp seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
1C chopped dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, strawberries etc)
2Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2C maple, agave syrup, honey or molasses
2Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2tsp cinnamon powder
1/2tsp ginger powder
pinch of nutmeg powder
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp salt

Recipe:

  • Pre-heat oven to 300F
  • Mix all dry ingredients except dry fruits and coconut flakes.
  • Mix all the wet ingredients (syrup, oil, vanilla extract)
  • Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well to quote thoroughly.
  • Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • Spread the granola mixture in a thin layer on sheet pan.
  • Bake for 40 minutes until granola turns golden brown. Spread around with a spoon every 10-15 minutes during baking.
  • Remove from oven. Immediately add dried fruit. Mix well.
  • Let cool. Once cold, store in an airtight container.
  • Serve as a cereal with milk, or on top of yogurt or just munch on their own.